Hasta La Gadget!

This week over at Honda R&D Americas, senior iOS architect Duane Cash is showing off a new brainwave control device and custom Siri API working with the iPhone in the real world. The initial test shows the man using a wave of his hand and the EEG signals his brain generates to start up the app and activate several functions on the device. This isn’t the sort of thing you’re going to be able to run out and buy right this minute, but given the relative simplicity of the build – so to speak – we might be seeing something like this from 3rd party developers (namely Honda R&D Americas) bringing such solutions soon.

What you’re seeing here is the iPhone displaying a map, opening a menu, and closing a menu. This is done with the read EEG signals coming from Cash’s brain interpreted by a custom developer code made for Siri on the iPhone. With this setup, we can potentially run anything Siri can run by simply thinking of it.

Of course it’s not all that simple, and just getting this far in the project was no cake walk. With mind control used in this manner we’re still quite a few years away from creating anything that wouldn’t be simpler with simple taps or voice commands. In the future though, we might be thinking of novels and creating masterpieces in media without lifting a finger. We shall see!

ALSO NOTE: Though Cash works for Honda R&D now, he may be doing additional work on this project as his own independent masters project. Take a look at his LinkedIn profile and see what you make of it.

Then have a peek at a set of recent posts surrounding Siri and user attempts to make this ultra-popular app interface part of the greater control-all universe. With Apple’s implementation of Siri on their iPhone and iPad line, the company has over the past couple of years changed the way we see smart device control – now we’re at a point where it’s no longer easy enough to speak commands. We just want to think them.

[via Andrew Lim]

Siri obeys real-life mind control is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Once upon a time, Netflix was proud enough of its public API which enabled third-party services and apps to serve up its data and content in different ways that it opened a gallery to display them. Unfortunately, times have changed since 2009 — the old App Gallery is gone and now, so is public API access for new developers. A blog post indicates the API is now focused on supporting Netflix’s official clients on the many devices its customers use to stream movies, not hobbyist projects for managing ones queue or finding new movies to watch. While those already in place should still work since existing keys will remain active, the developer forums are being set to read-only, no new keys are being issued and new partners are no longer being accepted.

The move is reminiscent of recent changes by Twitter, where as each company has grown it’s decided having control over the user experience through its own official apps outweighs allowing the community to build and extend access as it sees fit. We’re sad to see the program go, as many of these tools assisted Netflix members in ways the official website and apps either never did, or no longer do after the features were removed. Even though Netflix relies on its own secret sauce for recommendations, we’ve always found it hard to beat InstantWatcher’s curated lists (by year, Rotten Tomatoes rating, critic’s picks, titles most recently added by other users and more) to find a video, and FeedFliks was indispensable for monitoring exactly how valuable the service is until its features were cut down by API changes. They provided an edge the competition like Amazon Prime and Redbox couldn’t match, but we’ll have to wait and see if this change is noticed by enough subscribers to matter — we’ve seen how that can go.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Netflix Developer Blog

It’s time for the Smart Glasses wave to blast forth with today’s big entry being none other than the Vuzix M100. We’ve had our hands and eyes on an early edition of this pair of Google Glass competitors back at CES 2013, and today’s annWement surrounds the developer edition being shipped out to “Gold Developers” within the next 30 days. With this little beast heading to developers on the back of a newly invigorated Vuzix M100 Developer Program, we can expect the final model for consumers sooner than later!

With the Vuzix M100 you’re getting a miniature computer that sits on the side of your head with an display that’s viewable through and eyepiece on the right or left of your head. Oddly enough, each of the demonstration units we’ve seen thus far sit on the right side of the head – similar to the most common Google Project Glass units in demonstration materials that’ve been public thus far. Beyond that and the fact that the Vuzix M100 also runs Android, this unit and Google’s couldn’t be more dissimilar.

With the Vuzix M100 Developer Program moving into its second phase with developer units being shipped over the next month, the wearable craze can once again continue to crash forth. We’ve seen not just Google and a set of near-veterans like Vuzix coming in to attack this upcoming market, but a possible entry from Apple as well. With Apple’s approach we won’t be seeing glasses, on the other hand, but the possibility of a wearable watch-sized machine.

Have a peek at our hands-on with the Vuzix M100 and have a peek at the timeline below to see additional adventures we’ve had with Vuzix wearable machines. They’ve been in this universe for several years now – it’s high time we had something as sleek as the M100 to see for ourselves!

Google Glass competition ramps up: Vuzix M100 developer units shipping is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In an effort to usher its newest flagship‘s infrared capabilities to the masses, HTC is adding an IR API to its OpenSense SDK. Starting today, developers interested in creating applications that use the One’s IR blaster can request the software kit directly from the company. By making this API available to the masses, HTC hopes to build a stable of apps unique to its new hardware, kicking things off with Sense 5’s integrated universal TV remote control software. Devs looking to ease the pain of Logitech’s plans to kill off the Harmony — or those interested in more details — can find just that via the source link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, HTC

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Source: HTC

If weren’t aware, the popular Vine video-sharing app is the work of just three developers. However, the New York-based team is looking to expand by hiring six new developers and engineers to help out with the new app. Specifically, though, the service is looking for an Android developer, which could mean that a Vine Android app is coming very soon.

Vine co-founder Colin Kroll tweeted that the team was looking to expand, and heading on over to Vine’s jobs webpage will give you a glimpse as to what they’re looking for. They’re mostly looking for product and software enginners, as well as an iOS developer. However, a listing for an “Android engineer” is particularly interesting.

The Vine app initially released only for iOS last month with great fanfare. However, it was hit with a pornography controversy shortly after its release, requiring the app to instill a 17+ age rating and blocking most of the porn from the app. During the fiasco, Vine was eventually removed from the Editors’ Choice section of the iTunes App Store.

However, all that is behind us now, and it seems Vine is now focusing their efforts on improving the app, and bringing in more team members to help possibly introduce more features, as well as release an Android version that we know many of its users are dying to start using. Hopefully we’ll see it relatively soon.

Vine hiring Android developer, Android app most likely in the works is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.